CARLSBAD: Legoland's new water park makes splash

Seven-year-old Katie approached the flaming red, Twin Chasers
tube slide with some trepidation Friday at the opening of the new
Legoland Water Park in Carlsbad.

But moments later, she emerged from the 130-foot slide with a
huge smile.

"I'm going to do it again," she declared proudly.

She and her two brothers were among some 50 foster children from
the Promises 2 Kids' Camp Connect program who were selected as the
new park's first guests.

The group from Camp Connect, which offers special outings for
siblings separated by the foster care system, had the park to
themselves for about an hour before the general public was allowed
in.

Legoland California's water park is special not only because
it's the world's first Lego-themed water park, but also because it
has many features that cater to the littlest kids, said Legoland
General Manager Peter Ronchetti.

Legoland, which takes its theme from the plastic building
blocks, is mainly geared toward 2- to 12-year-olds. That's not
typically the core market for water parks, which usually seek to
impress thrill-seeking teenagers, Ronchetti said.

Within the new park, toddlers have their own water play area
with three small slides and a "kid creek" ---- a miniature version
of an inner tube ride.

Park officials said that the $12 million Legoland Water Park is
the biggest addition to their 128-acre Legoland California complex
since 1999, when the amusement park opened in central Carlsbad off
Palomar Airport Road.

Teenagers in the Promises 2 Kids group pronounced the Twin
Chasers ride as the best attraction in the 5.5-acre water park.
It's great, 17-year-old Lerontae said, "because you don't know
where you're going" until you come out at the end.

The other big water slides are half-pipes, so people can see the
sky and the surrounding landscape as they careen through the
tubes.

While older kids immediately gravitated toward the slides, the
younger ones started putting toes into the water splash ponds.

Legoland officials clustered around the Joker Soaker, a clock
towerlike structure that regularly dumps water into a shallow pool.
They exchanged smiles when little kids shrieked with delight.

"My whole team is watching here to see how the people react,"
Ronchetti said. "It's really interesting to see the children in
particular, seeing what they run to."

Not everything was ready to go Friday as the water park headed
into the busy Memorial Day weekend. A giant waterfall attached to
the park's signature 45-foot-tall tower wasn't operational because
a few parts haven't arrived yet, Legoland spokeswoman Beth Downing
Chee said.

"It'll be done in the new few days," she promised.

Also delayed were the "build-a-raft" tubes that allow kids to
customize their inner tubes before floating down a giant river that
wraps around the water slides. Until those arrive, kids will use
regular tubes, Chee said.

None of the kids appeared to mind the omissions on Friday
morning. Their biggest problem was that they couldn't stop running
from place to place within the new park.

Those newly minted lifeguards at the facility said their first
day on the job was going well. Nineteen-year-old Chelsea Vallier of
Vista said she and her 17-year-old sister Ashley both got jobs at
the park.

This is the first paying summer job she has ever had, Vallier
said, adding that it's going to be hard to top it.

Admission to the new water park is a $10 charge on top of the
regular Legoland admission. Single-day regular admission to
Legoland California costs $67 for adults, and $57 for children age
3 to 12. Children younger than 3 get in free, and senior citizens
pay the kids' ticket price.

IF YOU GO:

What: Legoland Water Park

Where: The north end of Legoland California, adjacent to the Fun
Town area

Cost: Admission:$10 per person, in addition to the regular
Legoland California admission price of $67 for adults, or $57 for
children age 3 to 12.

Attractions:

---- Orange Rush, a family tube slide where up to four people
can use a single raft to go down a 312-foot track

---- Twin Chasers, two enclosed tubes that stretch nearly 130
feet

---- Splash Out, an open-topped, 240-foot water slide

---- Build-A-Raft River, a "lazy river" where people float in
inner tubes